What Nightmares May Come
by Boadicia
Summary: Leia has a near death experience and must depend on the spirit of Anakin Skywalker to return to the living. Finished, and edited to cure minor confusion.
1. The White Light

The White Light

Leia Organa Solo struggled to open her eyes. It felt as if someone were physically holding them closed. Her chest felt heavy. She slowly willed her lungs to expand and contract against it. She could feel the Force around her, as if she were floating in an ocean. It filled her lungs and seeped through every pore of her skin.

"Wake up," she heard a familiar voice say. "You don't have a lot of time."

Leia opened her eyes and was greeted with a flash of bright white light. The light faded just enough for her to notice a human figure beside her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes to refocus them. The swirls of colors became the image of a large garden in a courtyard. She was sitting on the edge of a fountain. The tips of her fingers were in the water. She lifted her hand and flicked the water away.

"There's not much time left," she heard someone say again. She raised her head and looked around for the source of the voice, but as far as she could tell, she was alone.

"Where am I?" She looked around for an exit. The entire garden was surrounded by a large oval stone wall. The only place she could go was into the large building behind her. It appeared to be some kind of temple.

"What happened?" she asked herself. Trying to remember, she closed her eyes and tapped into the Force around her. It hit her a lot stronger than she had anticipated. She saw images of a shuttle she vaguely remembered riding moments before. Two Noghri, Robarakh and Meewahl, had been with her. Something happened, but she couldn't remember what. Her mind was in total chaos until she suddenly realized the shuttle had crashed. Leia's eyes shot open. Had she survived the crash alone? "Robarakh! Meewahl!" She turned in circles in vain to find them, but was still all alone.

Panicking, Leia leaned over the fountain to catch her breath. She gasped when she saw her reflection in the water. Her hair, which had once been peppered with grey, was now a complete dark brown. Her skin was tight and flawless. She appeared the same way she had in the days of the Rebellion.

"That's impossible." Leia straightened as a horrible thought passed through her mind. "Am I dead?"

"Not quite," she heard the voice again.

Leia stepped around the fountain and slowly approached the temple. The wall rumbled. Leia watched the stones part themselves to create an entrance. Feeling a strong urge from the Force, she stepped forward into the building. All around her, she could see the Force rippling faintly in the air. Before her was a bridge. She leaned over to see a clear pool beneath. Aquatic life forms swam back and forth among flowers. Leia continued across the bridge while still glancing down on occasion. On the other end she found an empty room made of glass. She could see more of the gardens through the windows. The room was literally thick with the Force. She pushed her way to the other side.

"What is this place?"

"It is the Hall of Wisdom." The Force swirled around Leia. She recognized this voice. She spun on her heel to face him. She felt a moment of fear, which quickly became extreme joy.

"Anakin?" Leia said between pants. She saw her youngest son, who had died on Myrkr during the war against the Yuuzhan Vong, standing there and tapping his foot as if he'd been waiting for her. He greeted her with a smile that nearly brought her to tears. She smothered him against her chest in a tight embrace.

"Mom?" Anakin Solo said. "We must hurry. You can't stay for long."

Leia lingered for a moment. When Anakin died, his body had been filled with pure Force energy. She could feel it still radiating from him. She finally released him. "Am I dead?"

Anakin shook his head. "You live, but your spirit is trapped. The Force brought me here to see you."

"Trapped? Why? What's going on?"

"You were in an accident. The shuttle you were riding in crashed, and right now you're floating in a bacta tank. I'm not allowed to know much more than that. All I know is that I have to take you somewhere."

"And how do you know this?"

"The Force commands it. You should trust it more."

Leia raised an eyebrow at Anakin's comments. Anakin walked past her and motioned for her to follow. Leia placed an arm around his shoulders. "Life just isn't the same without you," she said. "This is the worst thing any parent could possibly endure. I still cry sometimes."

"I know. I can see you." Anakin swept a hand through the air. Leia felt the Force ripple at his touch. "The Force binds us to everything, especially when we merge with it."

Together they walked through the palace to the other side of the gardens. By this time, Leia had gotten used to seeing, breathing, and walking through the Force. On occasion, she could catch a quick glimpse of events through time and space. She could see the past in Alderaan, the present in Kashyyyk, and the future in what was left of Coruscant. Glimpses of the Clone Wars, the Rebellion, and the chaotic times of the New Republic came and went. Leia and Anakin walked and talked for what felt like hours. She was so entranced by his presence that she completely lost all sense of how much time actually passed and where they were going. Leia finally noticed they were in the middle of a forest when she felt another ripple in the Force.

"This is it," Anakin said. "It's time for us to go our separate ways."

"What?" Leia felt her heart skip a beat, though she knew it was coming. "Why?"

"You're still alive, Mom. It's not your time. You can't stay here. Someone else will have to take you from here."

"Who?"

Anakin ignored the question. "It is dangerous the rest of the way. You may need this." Anakin extended his hand towards her. He was offering her a lightsaber. "Take it." Leia stared at him with doubt in her eyes. "Take it!" Anakin urged.

Leia accepted it hesitantly and clutched it to her chest. "What does this mean?"

"Someone else will take you the rest of the way," he repeated. "It is dangerous, but with the Force, trust, and hope, you will make it home."

"Who," Leia stammered, "who is this someone else?"

"Wait until I am gone. Trust me." It was Anakin's turn to smother Leia. "If you hesitate, even for a moment, it could literally be the end of you. Trust the Force, and I promise you'll succeed." He planted a kiss against her cheek. "Goodbye Mom. We'll be together again, when it is your time."

"I love you," Leia said in a low voice. Anakin bowed slightly before turning back towards the way they came. Leia kept her eyes on him until he was out of sight. She let the tears flow and leaned against the nearest tree. "Life is so unfair."

"Tell me about it."

Leia shrieked and turned. She brandished the lightsaber. A bright blue blade extended at her touch. "Who are you!"

"That's not necessary." A young looking man was standing there. Leia could sense he was a Jedi spirit, not to mention he was carrying a lightsaber also. He was dressed in dark brown and black. There was a black glove on his right hand. He had wavy brown hair and a scar along his right eye. "I'm here to help."

"Who are you?"

"I'm the one Anakin Solo sent for you. To take you back to the living."

Leia sighed and calmed herself through the Force. She could sense no duplicity from this man. She deactivated her lightsaber and folded her arms. "Fine. Who are you?"

"That's not important. We have a long way to go, Leia."

Leia wanted to grill him into revealing himself to her, but at the same time, she felt as if she didn't want to know. It did not escape her that he bore a resemblance to Anakin and knew her name without asking, but she took it as a coincidence. She wasn't even sure he was real. "The sooner I get out of here, the better."


	2. Unexpected Reunion

Unexpected Reunion

Leia could not stop herself from staring at the young man's gloved hand as they trekked through the forest. He finally became annoyed when she glanced at his facial scar for the tenth time.

"Is there something you want to know?" he asked.

Leia felt a bit embarrassed. "Sorry. I was just wondering why you're wearing a glove, and where that scar came from."

"Over here, there are no old injuries. Everything is real and functioning, so to speak. I deliberately took this appearance because this is how I looked at an important time in my life."

"Fair enough." She kept in step behind him as they climbed a small hill. They stopped at the top long enough to survey the area. Her companion pointed to a mountain range in the distance.

"There," he said, "is where I must take you to get you home. It won't be a straight trip. We'll have to take the scenic route."

"What is the purpose of this journey, and what is so special about those mountains?"

"I don't know. I only know that I have to get you there to get you home."

"You have to? You make it sound like some sort of life mission."

"What if it is?" He did not wait for a response before continuing the hike. "I have long ago decided not to question the wisdom of the Force."

"I don't understand."

The man took a few more steps in silence before abruptly stopping. His arm shot out to the side to signal Leia to stop. They waited quietly for something to happen. Then Leia sensed it. There was something hostile in the woods around them. The man withdrew his lightsaber and activated the blue blade.

"Get ready," he ordered Leia. She shook her head. "Just trust in the Force," he assured her. "It won't fail you. Especially here."

Leia nodded and activated her lightsaber. Without thinking, she turned and pressed her back against her companion's. They sensed the hostile presence circling them as if it were still undecided about which direction to attack from. Leia felt her muscles tense with anticipation. She twitched slightly when several screeching creatures threw themselves from the trees and surrounded them. They were scaly six legged monsters that stood upright on four of them. Double tails flopped around on the ground, which sent vibrations under their feet.

One of the creatures stretched its serpentine neck towards the man. It released a guttural sound that could have been a laugh. "I see you are still trying to find atonement, Anakin Skywalker."

Leia nearly dropped her lightsaber in shock. Anakin shifted his weight to keep her from losing her balance. "I will not go through this with you again. Get out of my way."

The creature laughed again. "That is not my duty." It hissed and lashed forward. Anakin's lightsaber sliced cleanly through its neck. The rest of the creatures lurched forward. Anakin extended his hand to Force push them back.

Caught in anger and the condensed Force surging through her, Leia brought her lightsaber down onto the head of the nearest monster. She swung wildly through everything that placed itself in front of her. She plunged the lightsaber into the heart of one creature and finished it with a stab to its head. The next one knocked her to the ground with its tail. It raised its foot to stomp her into the ground. Anakin's lightsaber spun through the air and severed the leg. Leia froze with fear as she watched the severed leg fall towards her. With a boost from a Force sprint, Anakin sped towards her and pushed her to safety.

Three of the creatures were still alive. Anakin leapt into the air and fell upon its head. Before the severed head hit the ground, the next one was split in half through the thorax. Anakin waved his hand at the third one. It slammed into the nearest tree and fell onto its back. Anakin heard its neck snap as it hit the ground.

Anakin sighed in relief. "Leia, are you all right?" She didn't answer. Anakin slowly turned to face her. He wasn't surprised to see her brandishing her lightsaber at him. "What?"

"Darth Vader," Leia said with obvious hostility. "Give me a reason not to at least attempt to destroy you right now."

Anakin looked straight into her eyes. "That doesn't sound like something becoming of a Jedi. You should know better."

Leia thought about it for a moment. She deactivated the lightsaber. "Why didn't you tell me your name?"

"Because of how you would react. I was informed to keep my mouth shut."

"By whom?"

"The Force." Without waiting for her, he picked up his lightsaber and marched on towards the mountains.

Leia felt a twinge of uncertainty. She took a last look at the carcasses around her before following him. "What did you mean when you told that monster that you didn't want to deal with it again? Has it harrassed you before?"

"In a way, yes. I encountered him in previous trials of redemption. His job, basically, is to make me miserable for spiritual purposes. It's not what you think."

"I'm sorry about what I did back there," Leia said after a moment. "I didn't expect you to have been . . .him."

"You mean Darth Vader."

"Basically," she answered, though she knew it wasn't a question. Leia felt the Force swirl around her. She was hit with a confusing mass of anger, guilt, and pain from Anakin as she followed him. She kept her eyes off Anakin as they neared a rapidly flowing river. Leia could not tell how deep it was. All she could hear was the roaring as the water rushed downhill. There was a feeling of careless power within the river. Leia could not tell if it were hostile or just wild.

"It is only wild," Anakin said as if she had spoken. "There is nothing hostile about the Force in its natural form."

"How do we get across?" she asked while still not looking at Anakin.

Anakin motioned towards a series of small boulders that formed an unreliable path of stepping stones. Using the Force, he jumped and landed neatly on the nearest stone. Leia watched him hop further along before stopping to wait for her. Leia took a deep breath before making the first leap. She took her time; before each jump, she paused to make sure she had a good grip on the Force. She continued until she had caught up to Anakin.

Anakin jumped to the next boulder. Leia moved to follow. Her boot slipped against the stone, but it felt as if someone had pushed her. Leia shrieked as she fell into the raging river and was dragged underneath.


	3. The First Doubts

The First Doubts

Anakin twisted at the sound of Leia's scream just in time to see her head go underwater. "Damn it!" he cursed as he plunged headfirst into the water after her.

Leia's body felt as if it were being torn apart by the force of the water. She kicked and flailed towards the surface. She did not know if she could survive without breathing, since she was already on the brink of death. She tried to summon the Force, but her mind was clouded with panic and confusion. All she could do in the end was to mentally cry out for help. Muffled rumbling filled her ears as she tumbled in every direction down the river.

Her lungs nearly gave out before her head broke the surface. Leia took a quick breath. "Anakin!" she screamed. She sputtered as water splashed down her throat and into her lungs. She felt the urge to vomit. She released a muffled grunt of pain as she rammed into a tree that had fallen into the river. She scrambled to grab the nearest branch and pull herself up. She coughed up water and heaved from the force of the spasms. She did not have the strength to pull herself up.

"Anakin, where are you?" As if by magic, Anakin fell from the sky. Leia nearly lost her grip as he landed on the fallen tree. He kneeled down and silently offered a hand. Without hesitation, she took it and let him pull her up. He placed her arm around his shoulders and dragged her to the riverbank. As soon as her feet touched stable ground, she pulled away from him and dropped to her knees. Anakin reached to pick her up again. She snatched her hand back and pushed him away.

"Don't touch me!" she demanded. "Just leave me alone."

Anakin withdrew his hand. "Why? What will you gain if I do?"

"Don't get philosophical on me? Why can't you just let me live my life?"

"I gave you that life."

"Shut up!" Leia instantly felt regret at her outburst.

"Patience," Anakin mumbled to himself. "Patience." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Leia called too quickly to think about it. Anakin stopped but didn't turn around. "I need time to rest," Leia said. "I'll be ready then."

An hour later, by Leia's reckoning, though she had lost all sense of time, the illusion of daylight began to fade into twilight. She was still too tired to continue the journey, and she was secretly grateful for the time to think. She sat on the ground with her heels digging into the dirt and her chin resting on her knees. Anakin was sitting on the other side of an ersatz campfire he had summoned from the Force earlier. Its sole purpose was for light and mental comfort. Anakin was absentmindedly crunching on something, which quickly began to grate her nerves. She was sure he was doing it on purpose.

Leia willed the Force into her body. She sighed deeply as if mustering up courage to say something. Just as she began to open her mouth, Anakin said something.

Leia straightened her back. "What was that?"

Anakin was staring straight into the illusory fire. "Just say it."

"Say what?"

Anakin glanced at her. "I felt you tapping into the Force, and I have a pretty good idea why. Do you have something to say?"

"To ask, actually." Anakin stopped chewing and returned his gaze to the flames. Leia knew it was for the sole purpose of her comfort. "Why?"

Anakin pretended not to understand. "Why what?"

"Why couldn't you obey the rules? What was so wrong with your life that you absolutely had to throw it away for power and hatred?"

"Obeying the rules?" Anakin huffed. "If I were prone to obeying the rules, you and your brother would have never been born."

Leia lowered one leg and propped her elbow against the other. "I don't understand. Elaborate."

Anakin raised his eyes in surprise. "Do you really care to know?" Leia simply shrugged. "In the days of the old Jedi Order," Anakin explained, "it was forbidden for Jedi to marry and have children. That leads to attachment. Which leads to jealousy. Which leads to greed. Which leads to the Dark Side. At least, that's what Yoda said."

Leia deliberately turned her gaze away in hopes that he wouldn't see her response to the unintended humor. "That doesn't sound like something I'd associate with . . . Darth Vader," she said. "He was someone full of hate and anger. What does marriage have to do with that? Did she break your heart or something?"

Leia had intended the question to be an insult. She was caught off guard when Anakin said, "Yes, she did. Just not in the way you think." There was a moment of silence before he added, "I broke her heart first."

(X)

Leia awoke with a bright light in her face. At first, she thought she was in a medical facility, and everything else was a dream. She sat up and expected to see Robarakh or Meewahl beside her. Instead, she saw Anakin waiting for her. He was standing a short distance away and facing into the forest. The sky was bright with the illusion of late morning. Leia stretched as she stood, grabbed her lightsaber, and approached Anakin. She took a few steps past him and gasped when she walked into an invisible wall. She recoiled in time to see the air, and the Force, ripple in front of her. It looked as if a pebble had been thrown into a vertical lake.

"What the hell is that?"

"Force wall," Anakin answered stoically. "It's a large mass of condensed Force, and our first detour. The only way to get past it is to think your way through it."

"With the Force," Leia guessed.

Anakin only shrugged. "I'll demonstrate this once, but you'll have to go first next time." Anakin raised a hand to touch the Force wall. Leia watched it ripple as he slowly pushed his hand through. She sensed, rather than saw, the breach in the wall enlarge around Anakin's hand. He used the Force to push the wall away. When he was sure the breach was large enough, Anakin ducked and stepped through the wall. He literally disappeared before Leia's eyes.

Leia hit the Force wall where Anakin passed through it. The hole was completely sealed. Before she could start panicking, she heard Anakin's voice in her head. _Use the Force to open the wall._ Leia placed her hand against the Force wall. Keeping her mind clear of everything else, Leia concentrated on passing through the wall. She visualized her arm sinking into it. She felt hot air on the other side as she pushed through. Her skin felt as if she were passing through gel. When her face passed the surface, she gave one final push before falling all the way through the Force wall.

She stumbled as her foot landed on sand. Anakin seized her arm to help her regain her footing. The first thing Leia noticed was the heat. She shaded her eyes as she scanned the desert she had fallen into. Though it stung her eyes, a quick glance up revealed two suns.

"Tatooine," Leia said.

"Home hellish home." Without further explanation, Anakin began trekking across the sand towards a white spot in the distance. Not feeling up to a discussion, Leia silently followed. Gradually the white dot in the distance became a blurry city, or the next best thing on Tatooine. Halfway there, the trip began to wear on Leia's body. She wondered if her real body could feel it, wherever it was. "Where are we going?"

"Mos Espa."

"How much farther?"

Anakin stopped to turn. Leia trotted to his side. "Having trouble?" he asked, almost condescendingly.

"Is it supposed to be this difficult on this side? It wasn't this hard the last time I was on Tatooine, in life."

"I know. You were chasing that moss painting with the hidden spy directory."

Leia could only partially hide her discomfort. "You know about that?"

"Did you forget so easily? When you were on Bakura? I told you I'd be watching."

Leia nodded as the memory suddenly returned to her. She had so much hatred for Darth Vader then. It was easy to forget she was with him at that moment. This man seemed to be so much more, and less, than what she'd envisioned. The thought was interrupted when Anakin spoke again. "What?" Leia asked.

"Use the Force to keep yourself strong, at least until we find the next wall. I can't afford letting you get sick or worse. You can afford it even less."

"You're starting to sound like Luke."

"He is his father's son." Anakin didn't give her a chance to respond. Instead he continued towards Mos Espa. Leia took the time to draw from the Force before following him. She was amazed at how quickly and powerfully it surged through her. She saw the Force quiver like a mirage with each step. Her head began to pound with the vibration until they reached the spaceport. She stood still for a moment to ground the energy.

"Now what?" Leia asked.

"We find the Force wall, of course. Don't go anywhere."

Leia didn't hear the last statement. She was too busy being distracted by a shiver in the Force. She turned back to Anakin to ask if he'd felt it, only to discover he was gone. Leia cursed silently as she frantically searched for him.

"Damn it, Anakin!" Leia stretched through the Force. She caught Anakin's signature from a building a few meters ahead and to her right. It looked like a small stone hut. She followed a tall man with long hair and a young girl into the building. It appeared some sort of shop littered with droid and vehicle parts. "It feels hotter in here than outside."

Leia immediately noticed the child sitting on a bench and tinkering with droid parts. She recognized his Force signature. "I don't believe it," she said quietly. She estimated him to be about nine or ten. The young girl next to him was in her early to mid teens. She had brown eyes and long brown hair tied back in a braid.

"Are you an angel?" the boy asked the girl. Leia watched the exchange with unexplained interest. She showed no surprise to discover his name was Anakin Skywalker. She nearly followed them into the street until Anakin, the adult one, stepped in front of her.

Leia shrieked and leapt back. Anakin used the Force to keep her from falling. "You should learn to give your reflexes over to the Force. You won't be so easily startled."

Leia shrugged. "A lesson I'm not unfamiliar with." She raised herself on the balls of her feet to look over Anakin's shoulder. "That little boy was you, wasn't it?"

Anakin smirked. "Is it that obvious?" He stepped out of the shop. "Come on. I know where the Force wall is."

Leia hurried to follow. "Where would that be?"

"In the desert, on the other side of a Tuskan Raider camp."

"What! Sand People? You could have at least tried to lie about it. I can't go out there."

"Then you'll die. Is that what you want?"

"Of course not!"

"Then quit complaining and follow me. The Force does not take lightly to those who hesitate from it. It is a beautiful gift to be cherished and rejoiced in, not hidden from. Jacen tried to hesitate once, and you were nearly killed for it."

Leia remained silent, partly from anger that he brought it up, and partly from shame because it was true. She remembered when Jacen completely cut himself from the Force out of fear of falling to the Dark Side. He was forced to use it again when Yuuzhan Vong warriors attacked her, and she nearly lost her legs in the process. "That girl in the shop you were speaking to," she mentioned. "Who was she?"

Anakin was silent as if in deep thought. "You're not ready for the answer."

"As if I need one now."


	4. A Single Slip of Resolve

A Single Slip of Resolve

Leia quietly watched Tatoo I and Tatoo II as they slid beneath the horizon. She and Anakin were watching and waiting on a cliff edge waiting for sunset. "Where is the wall?" she asked.

Anakin pointed with his head. "On the other side of the camp. We'll have to go through to reach it."

Leia watched the camp below. Most of the Sand People were gathered around a large fire while one of them stood to tell a story. Anakin stood without warning and jumped over the edge. Leia rolled her eyes. "No wonder Anakin Solo was so reckless. He got it from his grandfather." She leaned over the edge to see Anakin Skywalker land quietly below. He raised his hand to her and signaled for her to follow. She hesitated for a second before she felt a Force pull. She covered her mouth as Anakin lowered her to the ground. "You could have warned me," she threatened in a whisper.

Anakin didn't seem to have heard her. "Next time I'll push you." Leia couldn't tell if he were joking, but she decided it would be safest to assume that he wasn't. He ducked low and ran to the nearest hut. Following another hand signal, Leia slid to his side. They peered out towards the center of the camp. "The Force wall is directly on the other side We'll have to take the long way around." Leia watched Anakin dash to the next nearest hut ahead. He continued on without stopping to motion to Leia nor to see if she were following. She tried to gather the courage to run after him, but a sensation in the Force told her to sit still.

Anakin disappeared around the edge of the camp. Leia pushed herself up. She closed her eyes and mentally pushed out in search of Anakin's presence. She gasped and opened her eyes when she found him. He was extremely upset. She could sense a powerful urge for destruction. Without thinking, Leia rushed past the huts. She didn't notice that she'd caught the attention of a Tuskan Raider child. She stopped at the last hut and peered around it. A herd of bantha slept just a few meters away. Leia crept around the hut until she noticed one with a light glowing from within. Sensing something was wrong, she ran to the hut and looked inside.

Anakin was kneeling in the center of the hut. There was a rack on the other side; a bruised and battered woman was tied to it by her wrists. Hoping not to provoke him, Leia ducked inside. She got close enough to touch him, but stopped short of actually doing it. Anakin was rolling his unlit lightsaber between his palms.

"I didn't think there would still be trials for me." He gave no indication that he knew she was behind him.

Leia shook her head. "What are you doing?" She was sure the question was unnecessary.

Leia could sense the wicked smile, though he wasn't turned in her direction. She held her ground as he stood and pivoted to face her. "They're doing it again."

Leia glanced at the woman she knew to be a phantom of her grandmother, Shmi Skywalker. The Force rippled again. Leia felt the hatred and anger it carried from Anakin. The lights flickered as if in response. A heavy shadow fell over the light in the hut until it was covered in total darkness.

"Don't do it," Leia quietly begged, but she knew Anakin wasn't listening. As if in a trance, Anakin turned to leave the hut. Leia snapped to attention when she heard his lightsaber ignite. "Anakin! No!" Leia ignited her own lightsaber as she chased after him. She saw him slice two Tuskan Raiders in half. Her mind went blank as she ran to his side. His lightsaber swung towards a Tuskan Raider child. Leia's blade intercepted from below and knocked his lightsaber back.

Leia drew on the Force to prevent falling to the ground from his belligerent glare. "Get out of my way!" he threatened.

Though the voice was different from the memories, Leia recognized the tone. "I can't," she said calmly. "I need you to get me home, but you can't if you repeat this mistake. I won't let you."

Anakin was still for a moment as if to contemplate her words. "You let me?" Leia saw Anakin's eyes glance beyond her shoulder. "Get out of my way."

Leia held her lightsaber steady. "No. I can't."

"I said move!"

With a wave of his hand, Anakin Force pushed Leia to the ground. Her lightsaber deactivated when it hit the sand and rolled away. She scrambled to her feet and turned to see Anakin slice a gaderffii in half. If Anakin hadn't pushed her out of the way, the Tuskan Raider wielding the gaderffii would have smashed her head in. She grabbed and activated her lightsaber in time to deflect laser blasts from another gaderffii. She backed away towards the Force wall.

Anakin Force pushed several more Tuskan Raiders into the air. "Get through the wall!" he ordered. "I'll cover you!"

Leia wasted no time. She let the Force flow through her as she pushed her hand into the invisible barrier.

(X)

"Uh oh," Leia said as she walked through the corridor. She recognized it as a building in Imperial City. She could hear lightsabers buzzing down the hall. She reached back towards the Force wall, only to discover that it was no longer there. She wondered what Anakin was doing on the other side. Then she began to worry that she may have lost him.

"With the Force, trust, and hope, you will make it home," she remembered her son saying. She allowed herself to breathe the thick Force energy to calm her. She made her way towards the buzzing, which was followed by the sound of shattering glass. She got close enough to see two men fighting with lightsabers in the room on the end. One of them was a dark skinned Jedi. The other she immediately recognized as Palpatine, though she'd never seen what he looked like before he was emperor.

She watched the Force Lightning deflected by the Jedi's lightsaber warp and destroy Palpatine's skin. She narrowed her eyes when she thought she heard him say, "I have the power to save the one you love."

"What?" Leia looked towards a third person in the room. Though she was seeing him from behind, she knew right away that it was Anakin Skywalker. "So this is how it happened." She heard Anakin beg the Jedi to let Palpatine live. "What do you know of the Jedi way?" she asked Anakin aloud, though she knew she wouldn't be heard. She watched the scene unfold further in silence. Though she assured herself that the outcome was not surprising, she still screamed when Palpatine threw the Jedi through the window.

"What have I done!" she heard Anakin cry out. Leia pressed herself against the wall as she inched into the room. She watched Anakin drop to the floor in a fit of tears. "You have to save Padmé. I can't live without her."

"What are you doing?" Leia asked. "It can't be like this." She watched in disgust as Palpatine initiated Anakin into the Sith as Darth Vader. Everything else seemed to melt away into a thick darkness. Leia became disoriented as she walked back towards the hallway. She could make no sense of what she saw, but its implications made her stomach churn.

The sounds behind her faded into silence. Leia made her way to the other end of the corridor. She was completely unaware that the building around her was fading also. She unconsciously used the wall as a guide as she stumbled into the darkening hallway. She felt the Force gather itself around her and gently push her farther into the darkness. Leia felt herself lean backwards as if someone were picking her up. She felt herself being carried. The feeling of floating in an ocean of energy returned right before she lost consciousness.


	5. The Nature of Good and Evil

The Nature of Good and Evil

Anakin dropped to the floor as he fell through the Force wall. His boots clanked against a metal floor. He gazed around in shock upon realizing that he was in the detention center of the first Death Star. He shook his head and silently cursed as he stood. The familiar sound of screaming and wailing echoed from one room. He knew what to expect if he went to that room, but he was not confident that he could handle it.

He opted to walk on past the room. The familiar screaming grew louder. When he was right in front of the door, he found himself unable to continue walking. He struggled to move, but something (the Force, he thought) was holding him still. He remembered the speeches about trusting the Force he gave Leia, and knew the Force wanted, or demanded, that he go to the cell.

"It won't bite," he told himself aloud. "I've been through this before." As a different person, in a different life, he thought. Anakin waved his hand towards the door to open it and stepped inside. As soon as both feet hit the floor, he fell to his knees and grabbed his head. The screams, Leia's screams, intensified inside his head. He felt the pain of interrogation and could faintly hear an interrogation droid in the background.

He then heard, beyond the screaming and the beeping of the droid, laughter. It was his own voice, filtered behind a shiny black mask.

(X)

Leia didn't know how she had reached the room. She looked across towards the balcony to see the Coruscant nighttime skyline. She remembered seeing Palpatine and Anakin, but she had no memory of what happened between then and the moment she awoke on the couch. She sat staring through the window in total silence. Her attention was finally stolen by the sound of someone entering the room. She turned just enough to see Anakin.

He was followed by a woman. Leia instantly recognized her as the girl she saw on Tatooine, though somewhat older. Leia listened quietly to their conversation, though she didn't understand most of it. Her mind felt like it was floating outside her body, but she caught something about a death premonition, a baby, and Anakin's mother. She became disoriented. She lay against the couch and closed her eyes.

"What am I doing?" she heard herself ask. "What does all this mean?"

"Ask your father," the woman's voice echoed through her head. "He has all the answers."

Leia awoke suddenly and sat up. "That didn't last long." She saw the woman sitting beside her. A phantom image of Anakin Skywalker was on the other side. The woman wore a long dark dress. She was obviously pregnant and close to delivery. She wore a square shaped necklace with a smaller square and lines carved into it. "That was you," Leia said to her. "In my head."

"It was."

Leia didn't have to ask, but she wanted to hear it from this woman. "Are you my mother?"

The woman nodded. "My name is Padmé Amidala."

"So, you're the one who married the monster and gave birth to the heroes of the Republic."

"So I've been told. Though I am disconcerted by your judgement of your father."

"You'd understand if you were there."

"I was there," Padmé insisted, "and I do understand."

"Then what can you possibly tell me that I haven't already heard?"

"The question is, what can I tell you that you will listen to? You're so caught up in the pains of the past, that it has blinded you to everything else around it."

Leia sighed as she glanced towards Anakin. "In other words?"

Padmé folded her hands in front of her belly. "Are you so stuck on someone's mistakes that you would forsake what he did right?"

"No. I know what my father did for my brother on the second Death Star, but that cannot erase every evil act he commited."

"Evil is relative, Leia. I'm sure you would consider having a family as innocent, yet it was that very thing that was indirectly responsible for what happened to Anakin."

"How do you know?"

"You were indirectly responsible for the destruction of Alderaan. All those people died because of you, though I'm sure no one would call you evil for it."

Leia leaned back as if she'd been slapped. "That's different."

"How so?"

Leia turned away. She didn't know if her expression betrayed anger or shame. She couldn't tell the difference between the two anymore. "Anakin isn't the only one in search of redemption," Padmé said. "We all are, in one form or another. You are free to hate him with your dying breath, but what will you have gained from it? As long as you do so, then darkness will cover and manipulate your path. You must forgive him, for yourself if not for him."

"It is not wrong to hate evil."

"Just what are you hating, Leia? The evil, or the person who was unable to see it for what it was?"

Leia was silent. She didn't know how to respond. "I'm certain," Padmé continued, "that if circumstances had allowed it, Anakin would have been a wonderful father, even in secret. I'm sorry that you and Luke could not have experienced that. That you couldn't see him and love him the way I did."

Leia spoke before she was aware of the words. "What is a person to think when evil is capable of love?" Leia had no idea where that question came from.

"I have my own question," Padmé said. "If you hate him so much, then why did you name your youngest son after him?"

"Because I wanted to reclaim that part of him that was still good."

"Then can't you see Anakin Skywalker as that person, and Darth Vader as someone else completely?" Padmé didn't give Leia the chance to answer. She stood and approached the balcony. Her hand swept across the air. Leia saw the now familiar rippling of the Force wall.

"Hurry," Padmé said. "Anakin is in danger. He needs your help."

Not willing to ask for details, Leia merely nodded and walked to the Force wall. As she had done twice before, she used the Force to open a breach and stepped through. She landed on a cold metal floor. She stood to the sounds of screaming down the hall. A look around made her heart skip a beat.

"The Death Star," she whispered to herself. She was in the detention center. She heard the screaming again. "Anakin!" she called. She trotted past each cell until she came to the one she believed the screams were coming from. Without thinking, Leia channeled the Force with a wave of her hand. The cell door slid open. By then, the screaming had stopped. Leia ran into the cell. "Anakin?"

He was kneeling on the floor with his back to her. She heard sobbing sounds coming from him. Leia slowly walked around him and kneeled beside him. He made no move to indicate he was aware of her presence. Leia wiped streaks of tears from his face. He still did not move.

"Anakin?" Leia repositioned herself so she was in front of him. He stared straight at her, but he didn't really see her. Leia grabbed him by his shoulders. "Anakin, wake up!" She shook him, but he might as well have been a doll.

"You have to wake up," Leia pleaded. She was nearly in tears herself. "Please. I can't get home without you."

Remembering her training sessions with Luke to hone her Force skills, Leia decided to try something she'd rarely done. She placed both hands on either side of Anakin's head and closed her eyes. She concentrated on searching his mind so she could see what he was experiencing. She was instantly shot with a wave of pain. The sensation brought up long buried memories of her confinement on the Death Star. She forced down the pain and terror enough to continue pushing through Anakin's mind. She suddenly caught sight of herself sitting on the bench. She was seeing the interrogation in third person perspective.

"It stops right here." Leia waited for the scene to finish playing through Anakin's head. When they reached the end, Leia let herself go in the Force. "You have to help me, Anakin. I can't do this alone."

At first, he did not respond. She saw Darth Vader turn to leave the cell, while her younger self was curled on the bench. "What must I do?" she finally heard Anakin ask.

"We must turn time backwards. Undo what has been done. I don't know how to do it myself."

She sensed Anakin scoff at the idea. She felt herself hold her breath as Anakin tapped into the Force. Before her mental eyes, the image froze, then began to rewind itself. Both of them tensed as they went through the whole thing again in reverse. Anakin played it back to the moment Darth Vader entered the room. With an extra effort, he froze the image in place again. Sensing that he was struggling, Leia envisioned a durasteel wall that slid over the image. As soon as it appeared, Anakin lost his grip on the task. Leia felt him blank out as he fell to the floor.

"Get up!" Leia seized his arm and, with some help from the Force, hauled him to his feet. She pushed him against the wall and leaned against him to prevent him from falling over. "Are you sane yet?"

Anakin smiled absentmindedly. "You're getting pretty good at this Jedi thing?"

"I had a good teacher. Let's get the hell out of here."

Anakin kept one hand against the wall as Leia dragged him into the hallway. "Where were you?" he asked. "Where did you go from Tatooine?"

Leia hesitated to answer. "Somewhere unpleasant?" Anakin offered.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Leia hesitated just a little more. "I saw Padmé."

Anakin pulled himself free from her grip and slid down the wall. Leia watched as he hit the floor. His expression betrayed disbelief. "What? What happened?"

"What? Are you saying you haven't seen her?"

"Of course I've seen her!" Anakin nearly yelled. "It's just, she's never gotten involved in these trials before. That's all." He rubbed his mouth with his gloved hand. "What did she say?"

Leia shrugged. "Just everything you and Luke have been trying to say to me for the past twenty something years. It was like invading a memory. Or a moment in time." Anakin's eyes revealed curiosity. "Rest assured, everything is taken care of."

Anakin appeared to think about it for a moment. "Fine. Let's get to the bridge."

"The bridge?"

"That's where the next Force wall awaits us."


	6. Final Exam

Final Exam

Leia rubbed her temples as she stepped onto the bridge. She glanced around as she tried not to think about the last time she saw the place. "The Force is a many splendored thing," she sang sarcastically.

Still a bit weak, Anakin leaned against the nearest wall. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing." Leia sat on the walkway and folded her legs. She ran her eyes up and down the control panel. "You never really answered my question from before."

"About what?"

"About why you turned to the Dark Side."

"You really want to know?" Anakin's voice betrayed surprise.

Leia turned to her side so she could look at him. "Yes, seriously, before we continue."

"I had a death premonition. About your mother Padmé."

Leia nodded. "I know. I had my own vision about it before I came here. I couldn't completely make out what was going on. I was partially unconscious at the time."

"Of course," Anakin said. "Well, Palpatine promised me he could save her life. I'm sure you could figure out the rest."

It was Leia's turn to show disbelief. "All that, for this?" She spread her arms.

"Plans that can fail, usually do. It's ironic, considering how I was supposed to be the Chosen One."

Leia chortled. "Chosen One? For what?"

"Long story. I'd rather you did research on your own."

"Can you throw me a line?"

Anakin seemed to consider it, then said, "No." He waved a hand towards the front of the bridge. The Force wall shimmered under the influence of the long distance touch. "Let's go. Recess is over."

"Are you sure?" Leia asked as Anakin stood.

"Is a Hutt trustworthy?"

"Well?" Leia tilted her head as if to think about it. "No." Anakin responded with a light slap against her arm.

"Hurry up anyway. Ladies first."

Leia didn't move. Instead, she stared out into space. The large blue, green, and white globe formerly known as Alderaan was slowly creeping into view. She leaned back against her hands as if contemplating something.

"Hello?" Anakin said. "Are you in there?" He sat beside Leia and waved a hand in front of her face. Her only movement was to point her chin towards Alderaan. Anakin glanced at it for a moment. "Are you going to watch the damn thing cross the entire view?"

Leia shot him a look of confusion and a bit of disapproval.

"Sorry," Anakin said. "No disrespect." Anakin stood and approached the Force wall. "Take all the time you need. I'll be waiting on the other side."

"What if we get separated again?"

"I have a feeling that won't happen, but if it does, I'll burn that bridge when I get to it."

"Trust in the Force, right?"

Anakin said nothing, but his smile gave his thoughts away. Leia watched him disappear into the rippling air. She turned back to gaze at Alderaan. She watched it move about a meter across the viewport before finally deciding that it wouldn't blow up before her eyes again.

"There's no point in staying around." She stood and unconsciously brushed her pants. "I have a life to get back to, and this is no longer a part of it." She pressed her hand against the Force wall and pushed through.

The first thing Leia noticed was the sensation of blasting heat, much hotter than Tatooine. She heard a deep rumbling in the distance, as if there were a prolonged earthquake. Leia stood and realized she was standing on some kind of landing platform. The sky was dark red, and volcanoes spewed lava in every direction for as far as she could see. Leia leaned over the platform as far as she dared. A large lava river flowed beneath her from the side of the nearest mountain. Several droids were dipping containers into the lava and carrying it away for whatever purpose.

Leia stepped back from the edge. "Where the hell am I?"

She surveyed the building behind her. There was a figure in a brown robe standing behind a railing. The hood was pulled low over his face, so she could see only his mouth and chin. His hands were folded into his sleeves. Leia's hand brushed the lightsaber clasped to her belt as she stepped off the platform and onto the walkway. The figure waited patiently on the other side. Leia reached out to him through the Force, but all she found was a blank, as if the person were deliberately blocking himself from her.

"Hello?" Leia called to the stranger. He did not respond. She slowly approached him until she was close enough to touch him. "Who are you? Where is Anakin?"

The figure raised his head and threw the hood back. Leia felt her heart drop to her knees. "Anakin? What happened to you!"

His eyes were altered from their familiar blue to a bright eerie amber. His expression could have been blank stoicism, but Leia felt a powerful darkness radiating from behind it.

"What have you done?" Leia asked breathlessly.

"What have you done?" Anakin mocked in a perfect imitation of her voice. He held his arms back and dropped his robe to the floor. He then pulled out his lightsaber and activated the blade.

Leia backed away with each step he took towards her. "How could you?" she asked on the verge of tears. "After everything we've just been through, how could you do this?"

"Surrender," he said. When she didn't respond, he spoke again. "You can't run away this time. Stand and face your destiny."

"Destiny?" In Leia's mind, that word was the bane of the Skywalker clan. Her hand rested on her lightsaber as she continued to back away. "Where is the Force wall, Anakin?"

Anakin stopped approaching her, but he still held the lightsaber high. "That is knowledge you must earn. You must surrender to gain it."

Leia shook her head. "I will never surrender."

"Then you will lose."

He released a piercing battlecry as he charged towards her. Leia seized her lightsaber and activated the blade just as Anakin's swung down. The force of his momentum nearly knocked her lightsaber from her hand. She pivoted on her heel and quickly increased the distance between them.

"Watch where you're going!" Anakin continued mocking as he advanced on her. He swung horizontally, which she parried. "You're not putting up much of a fight." The tip of his lightsaber scraped against the wall as he slowly chased Leia into a narrow corridor.

"Do you honestly plan to kill me?" Leia asked. She held the lightsaber up in preparation for his next attack.

"I can do that only if you refuse to give yourself."

Anakin rushed forward again. As if by instinct, Leia swung out to meet his lightsaber without waiting for him to actually make the move. She caught it close to the tip and knocked it back into the wall. Anakin pulled it free and swung towards her from below in an arc. She blocked it and thrust back. The two lightsabers continued hitting each other, slamming into the walls, and shooting sparks as Anakin drove Leia towards the end of the corridor.

Leia realized it instantly when she backed into a room. Anakin suddenly Force pushed her across the room. She hit the wall and slid onto a control panel before her feet touched the floor. He nonchalantly stepped inside as she tried to regain her equilibrium. She stared into his amber eyes and watched him pace back and forth in front of the entrance.

"He's going easy on me," she thought. "But why?"

Leia straightened and held her lightsaber forward in a battle ready position. Anakin saluted her in a similar move before leaping over the table in the center. His lightsaber was a blue flurry as it nearly landed on top of her. She met it with a powerful parry to her left, followed by a right swing. Anakin threw himself back to avoid being decapitated. Sparks flew when her lightsaber sliced through the wall and control panel. She dropped to one knee as Anakin's lightsaber buzzed past where her torso used to be.

As Leia stood, she placed her hand onto the table and rolled onto the top. She instantly sprang to her feet. Anakin grinned. It appeared to be threatening, but something in the Force told her it was somehow pride, not in himself, but in her.

"What is this? Some sort of game?" she asked.

"Far from it," he answered. "Are you giving in yet?"

"Have I?" Leia started. "What is wrong with you? I would never surrender to you like this."

Anakin lifted his head as if in sudden understanding. Rather than offer an explanation, he leapt onto the table. Their lightsabers blurred and buzzed as they sparred. In the middle of a strike, Leia's lightsaber caught Anakin's. The two stood toe to toe as they pressed their weapons against each other. The point where the blades crossed glowed blue-white as Leia and Anakin pushed against each other.

"It is only through submission," Anakin said, "that one may find victory."

"Are you trying to distract me?" Leia asked as she struggled against him.

"Not at all. Not if you wish to overcome your enemy."

Leia felt the Force swirl between and around them. She heard jumbled voices in her mind. She summoned the Force into her body to counter the fatigue in her arms.

Anakin scowled as if she had insulted him. "You have no right," he said.

Leia began to panic as she sensed the Force literally drain itself from her body. She felt as if the life were being sucked from her. "What are you doing?" The blades inched closer to Leia's face as her strength disappeared.

"You cannot master the Force, my daughter," Anakin said as if he were simply offering advice. "It is your master instead."

He planted his foot into Leia's abdomen. He pulled his lightsaber back just as she doubled over. Another kick dropped her to her knees. A third forced her to lie flat. Anakin rolled her onto her back with the tip of his boot. Before she could react, Anakin threw her lightsaber aside with a wave of his hand.

Leia stared up into those eerie amber eyes. For the first time in her whole life, she could not feel the Force. She'd always had it with her, even as a child, though she did not know until Luke told her the truth about whom they were that night on Endor. She could not feel its life connection. She couldn't even sense Anakin standing over her.

"What have you done to me?" she asked between pants.

"You did it to yourself." Anakin leveled the tip of his lightsaber with Leia's chin. She could feel the heat radiating from it. "Will you submit?" he asked. "It's now, or never."

Leia opened her mouth to say, "Never," but the word refused to come out. In a belated epiphany, she suddenly understood what he had been telling her. He did not want her to submit to him in battle. He wanted her to submit to something else that was greater than both of them; that had shaped her life since the moment she emerged from Padmé's womb; that was greater than everything that ever was, is, and ever would be. He wanted her to surrender to the Force.

"Yes," she finally managed to say. "I surrender."

In that moment, energy surged through her body. Leia feared she would explode from its power. She emptied her mind and let it flow into her as if she were a puppet. Without thinking, she raised her hand. Her lightsaber flew across the room and landed in her palm with the blade already ignited. She swung and knocked Anakin's lightsaber away. Before he could recover, she kicked him in the gut. With an extra push from the Force, she sent him across the room and against the wall. She quickly leapt to her feet and brandished her lightsaber.

"Let's finish this," she said with an enthusiastic smile.

Anakin stood and rolled his shoulders. He returned the smile as he lifted his lightsaber. "That's more like it." Leia took a step backwards as he Force jumped back onto the tabletop.


	7. Moving Mountains

Moving Mountains

Leia's mind was clear and free as she and Anakin battled on the tabletop. Every sound was drowned out by buzzing. All she could see was a blazing blue. Her body was not her own as she was completely under control of the Force. She twirled her blade above her head and spun on her heel. Anakin's blade barely missed her as its tip scraped across the table.

Leia dropped to the floor and backed towards the nearest door. She took a high stance that seemed humorously familiar to Anakin. "I believe it is safe to assume that we need more room."

Anakin nodded. "I'm inclined to agree."

Leia held her ground as if she were trying to figure out what to do. Then she lowered her lightsaber to a forward stance and walked backwards through the hallway. Anakin remained where he was until she reached the other end. He took his time following her. He deliberately scraped his lightsaber against the wall again as he walked.

Leia turned and ran back out towards the landing platform. She knew the fight would continue within a matter of seconds. She looked over the side of the platform, but every available spot was covered with lava. She could hear the scraping of Anakin's lightsaber grow louder as he stepped into view.

"Now what?" Leia closed her eyes and calmed herself. She smiled when she heard her dead son laughing as if lovingly taunting her. "You were right," she responded. "Now can you please give me a break here?"

She opened her eyes when she heard a distant rumbling become louder. She saw a mass of flat volcanic rock lift through on the other side of the lava river. Molten rock rolled off the sides as the land mass settled into its new spot. Leia hesitated for a moment, though she knew she was supposed to somehow get to that land mass.

"Trust in the Force," she assured herself. With her eyes still closed, she threw herself off the landing platform. The rumbling grew louder until her feet landed on solid ground. Volcanic rocks crunched under her feet. Leia opened her eyes and looked up. Anakin landed a few meters from her. Eager to continue, he took the high fighting stance. Leia huffed as she raised her weapon.

"This is it," she heard him say. "The final test. For both of us."

"I knew you would say that." She did know he'd say it, but she didn't know what it really meant.

The two of them stared at each other for a mere second before Anakin moved forward. Leia sprinted and met him halfway. Their lightsabers collided and crossed. Anakin's was the first to slip. Leia swung hers up to avoid decapitating him as he rushed past her. Then they both turned to continue their battle. Leia did not realize that Anakin was moving backwards towards the edge of the island. She felt compelled to force him back until she managed to put him on the defensive. He made no effort to turn the fight to his favor, but instead allowed himself to be driven to the edge until he was teetering on his feet.

Leia didn't see it coming. Still under the tutelage and control of the Force, she caught Anakin in the gut with her foot and kicked him. Rather than attempt to save himself, Anakin fell backwards into the lava. Leia screamed as she jumped back from the immolation. She watched with wide eyes and open mouth as Anakin disappeared into the burning river.

"Anakin!" Leia scanned the river, but she felt no hope that he'd survived. "He can't be dead," she said to herself before realizing the absurdity of the statement.

A minor surge of lava where Anakin had fallen caught her attention. She stepped forward in hopes of seeing him reemerge. A gloved hand broke through the surface and seized the edge of the island. Leia felt relief for one second before realizing it wasn't the glove Anakin wore to simulate his old injury. Instead, it was one attached to a more sinister memory. Leia slowly retreated as the second hand emerged. The black clad figure pulled itself onto land. A familiar black cape brushed the volcanic rock as the figure stood and ignited his lightsaber. The blade was red. A creepy artificial breathing filled Leia's ears. She saw the lava reflected in his helmet.

"Darth Vader," she said.

To her surprise, he actually bowed, though it felt like derision to her. "Now we get to see what you're really made of."

Leia blew out through her teeth as she brought her lightsaber into position. She willed herself to relax to maintain her grip on the Force, or rather, so it could maintain its grip on her. She let it fill every cell in her body. The sensation left her somewhat lightheaded.

"This won't be a repeat of Mimban," she said as she inched towards the center of the island.

"I would be sorely disappointed if it were."

Leia forced her mind to blank out. She felt more energy flow through her, but she was almost afraid that if it continued much longer, she'd burn herself out. Everything she had come to grips with in the past few hours melted away in the fires of blind anger. She shrieked with rage as her blue blade collided with his red one.

The entire fight seemed to play out in slow motion. She could see every move Vader made before each one connected. Her muscles strained to move fast enough to parry and counter. In desperation, she swung for his hands. She instantly regretted the move when he dodged and grazed her left arm with the tip of his lightsaber. Leia screamed and backed away. Vader's lightsaber swung again; this time it sliced the tip of her hair.

Leia switched her lightsaber to her left hand and held her wound with her right. Her perceptions were still in slow motion as she watched Vader approach her. She awkwardly brandished her lightsaber.

"You are still no challenge for me," Vader said.

Leia's mouth opened before she realized what words were coming out. "Would it be so easy for you to kill your own flesh and blood?"

"Would you kill yours instead?" he countered. "Even to save your own life?"

"Is that what this is about? All of this was a sham? So you could betray me?"

"You are too shortsighted."

Vader swung for Leia's left hand. She tried to block rather than switch hands again. Vader's lightsaber knocked hers to the ground. His blade was close enough just to singe the tip of her nails. Then he spun and slapped her right thigh with his blade. She screamed and dropped to the ground. She rolled over so she could see Vader standing at her feet.

Vader raised his lightsaber as if to strike her. "How desperately do you want to survive?"

Leia shook her head. Hot tears poured down her face. "No!"

Vader's lightsaber fell towards her. In a flash of anger and desperation, Leia held her hand up. A Force wave seized the lightsaber and knocked it from Vader's hand. It landed on the edge of the island and rolled into the lava.

"No!" Leia screamed again. Another Force wave slammed against Vader and pushed him away. Thinking quickly, Leia summoned her own lightsaber back to her hand. She impelled herself to scramble to her feet. Though her arm and leg ached terribly, she willed the pain away. She continued pushing against Vader with her Force wave, but she could feel it growing weaker as he pushed back against it. He gradually began to advance towards her.

A new sense of anger filled Leia. She took a deep breath before shouting in a husky voice, "Die!" The word was still on her lips when she swung for Vader's head. She was too far away to actually harm him. Instead, the blade slashed through Vader's helmet. It split in half all the way around and fell from his head. Leia spun with the momentum and sliced at him again. This time she cut through his chest armor. As if by magic, Vader's entire armor fell away from his body. Finally completely exposed, Anakin Skywalker moaned weakly and dropped to his knees.

Leia raised her lightsaber over her head. Her eyes were wide with hatred. She breathed heavily through her mouth. Anakin slowly raised his head to look at her. His eyes were back to their normal blue, and his face was wet with sweat and tears.

"You did it," he said softly before bowing his head. "You did it."

Leia was suddenly riddled with confusion. "Are you with me, or against me? Whom do you serve?"

Anakin didn't look up. "I serve the Force. That is all."

Leia slowly lowered her lightsaber. "Are you saying this was the work of the Force?" Though she had a difficult time believing it, she glanced around as if searching for an answer. When none came, she deactivated her lightsaber and dropped it. She reached into the Force and was filled with peace and reassurance. "This is the test you were talking about."

The pain in Leia's leg shot through the rest of her body. She fell to her knees in front of Anakin. Both of them were huffing with fatigue. She heard Anakin crying, just as he had when she saw his image on Coruscant.

"Darth Vader is dead," Leia said, "for me, at least." Though it wasn't a question, Anakin nodded in response. Leia struggled with herself for a moment before she said, "Then I forgive you."

Anakin raised his head as if he didn't believe he heard her correctly. "What was that?"

Leia hesitated as if embarrassed. "I said I forgive you. Father," she added for good measure.

"Why?"

Leia was expecting the catechism. "I no longer have room for hatred in my heart, especially for something that no longer exists. Because I am a Jedi, a Skywalker, and I serve the Force."

Anakin chuckled and bowed his head again. "Was that really so difficult?"

"Moving mountains is easier than forgiveness. Though I did get some good advice from my mother." Ignoring the pain, Leia wrapped her good arm around Anakin's neck and rested her head against his shoulder. He was too eager to return the gesture.

"Can we get out of here now?" Leia asked as if she were a little girl.

"I'm way ahead of you."


	8. The Softest Touch

The Softest Touch

The trees flew past Anakin and Leia in a blur as they raced down the forest trail. The mountainside, their ultimate destination since the beginning of their journey, slowly inched closer towards them. Leia began to tire after running nonstop for nearly ten minutes. Rather than opt for the usual lecture or wait for her to call on the Force, Anakin grabbed her hand and dragged her after him.

"Wait!" Leia demanded. "I just needs a few seconds."

"That's a few seconds more than we can afford!" Anakin stole a glance over Leia's shoulder. A giant creature, several meters tall and heavy enough to cause earth tremors with each step, emerged from the forest. One of its three snakeheads turned to look their way and shrieked. The high pitch made Leia wince. The other two heads hissed at them as the creature's whole body pivoted. The black fur all over its feline body stood on end like porcupine quills. Giant claws scraped the ground as it charged.

"Sithspawn!" Anakin cursed. "Come on!"

He pushed Leia ahead before turning back to the creature. He seriously considered Force strangling one of its heads, but he wasn't sure of the spiritual consequences. Even if he could get away with it, there was no way he could concentrate on all three heads at the same time, which was exactly why it had three heads in the first place. Instead, Anakin Force grabbed several trees and launched them one after the other. As he walked backwards, trees ripped themselves from the ground in a domino effect. Most of them bashed the three heads just enough to stun the trio. The creature's forward half and all three of its heads fell to the ground. Anakin quickly turned and chased Leia towards the mountain. He easily caught up with her. She was too fatigued to continue running and too confused to draw strength from the Force.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"The Force wall is here," Leia said between pants, "but something is wrong."

Anakin could sense it, but the sounds of the creature returning to consciousness encouraged him to take a risk anyway. He reached out to touch the Force wall, but he felt something invisible push him away. "What the hell is this?"

The Force wall shimmered in the air without being touched. An image emerged from the center of the shimmering. It coalesced just enough to be visible like rippling water. A giant face pulled itself forward and opened its eyes.

Leia stepped back. "Is this supposed to happen?"

"I don't know," Anakin answered. "I've never seen this before."

The watery face opened its mouth. "This is the bridge of life and death. Who dares to cross it?" Its voice sent a deep vibration they could feel through their feet.

Leia took a deep breath. The words sounded ridiculous as she said them, but she didn't know what else to do. "I dare to do so. I am alive. I must return to the living."

"Are you worthy?" the face asked.

"Huh?" Leia looked back at Anakin. He was focused on the creature getting back to its feet, but he showed he was listening by twirling his finger at her as a signal to hurry up. Leia turned back to the watery image and held her head up. "Yes."

"Then enter, Jedi."

The face pulled itself back into the Force wall and dispersed until it completely disappeared. Before Leia's eyes, a plain wooden doorjamb and a door without a knob appeared where the face had previously been.

"Is this it?" Leia asked in confusion.

"I don't care!" Anakin said as he stood behind her and faced the creature. "Just go." He held his hands up as the creature stood and shook itself. All three heads shrieked again and charged at Anakin. He braced himself as he launched a powerful Force wave. The wave collided with the creature and caused it to slide backwards a short distance. The creature drove its claws into the ground and struggled against the wave. Anakin strained as he poured more energy into holding the creature back. Lightning flashed between them. A wind that grew stronger by the second blew through Anakin's hair. The energy of the struggle began to push him backwards.

"Go on!" he ordered. "I can't stand here forever!"

Leia nodded and ran to the door. She pushed it. The door didn't budge. "Oh no," Leia groaned as she pushed harder. The door remained closed. Leia slammed her shoulder against it. The door pushed back against her.

"What are you doing!" Anakin yelled over the lightning and wind.

"The door won't open! It's fighting back!"

"Well do something! I'm running low on fuel over here!"

The creature's leftmost head pushed itself through the Force wave. Anakin leaned to the side to avoid being snapped in half, but he compromised part of the Force wave. As the head drew back to attack again, Anakin threw his hands up again to reinforce the wave.

Leia continued pushing against the door, but the harder she pushed, the more the door resisted. One final push caused her to lose her footing and slide to the ground. She was too frustrated to get up again.

"I can't do it."

"Come on!" Anakin screamed. "You have to get through!"

"I can't. I can't do it." Leia bowed her head. A million thoughts rushed through her head as she tried desperately to figure out what to do.

"Don't tell me we went through all this for nothing!" Anakin demanded. A bolt of lightning flashed past Anakin's head. His boots left trails as he continued slowly sliding backwards. "I didn't go through all this just to see you give up at the end!"

"Give up?" Leia said too quietly to be heard. "I had to give up once before." She thought back to her lightsaber battle with Anakin earlier on the lava planet Mustafar. She had to completely submit herself to the Force to succeed. "Maybe that's the key."

Leia stood and pushed against the door again. The door pushed back as expected. Leia stepped away and held her hand up. She pushed against the door with the Force. It still did not budge. A sudden energy blast from Anakin's battle with the creature slammed Leia against the door. She stayed in this position as she continued searching for a solution. She pushed again with the Force, but the door refused to move.

"Now what?" she said to herself. "I need help."

"You can't do that," she heard someone else say.

Leia gasped when she realized it was her dead son's voice. "Anakin?" she whispered.

"You can't do that," Anakin Solo's voice repeated. "You cannot use the Force to impose your will upon others. That way leads to the Dark Side."

Leia shook her head in confusion. A second energy blast slammed her again.

"Hurry up!" her father called.

Leia stood back. She held her hand up as if to push the door with the Force again. As she did so, a new thought flashed through her mind. "I can't impose myself," she said. Suddenly inspired, Leia reached for the door. She lightly tapped it. It swung open.

Leia's mouth dropped open. "I did it!" she screamed. "I did it!"

The watery face reappeared above the door. It opened its mouth as two energy beams instantly shot from its eyes and a third from its mouth. Each beam impaled the creature's three heads. After the beams disappeared, each head slumped forward as the body crashed to the ground. Anakin stumbled as the Force wave flew over the corpse. He succeeded in maintaining his balance for only a few seconds.

Leia ran to his side, but he waved her off as he picked himself up. "I am so glad that's finally over," he said as he stood. "What did you do?"

"Easy," Leia said with a smile. "I asked it nicely. A certain someone reminded me that the softest touch is granted the most obedience."

Anakin furrowed his brow, but did not bother to ask for an explanation. They both turned towards the open door. There was pure dark emptiness behind it, but there was nothing threatening within it. They were sure that was Leia's way home.

"I never would have thought of that," Anakin finally confessed. "Now I've been bested by both of my children."

"Maybe that's the whole point of having children," Leia playfully suggested. She looked at Anakin as if to say something, only to find herself at a loss for words.

Anakin knew what she wanted to say anyway. "If you don't want to say goodbye, then don't. We'll see each other again soon enough."

"I was going to say thank you," Leia lied.

Anakin nodded. "Of course you were."

Leia bowed her head. "There is one last thing I wanted to clear up before I left."

"Uh huh?"

She tried to smile at his feigned indifference. "You said that my mother broke your heart."

"Stop right there," Anakin interrupted. "Let's get that bit of information correct. She died on me after promising that she wouldn't, but I betrayed the Jedi and everything she believed in because I was trying to stop it from happening. Does that help?"

Though she knew she shouldn't have, Leia felt a bit abashed for bringing up the topic. "Yeah. Sorry." Leia sighed. "Boy, this is awkward."

Anakin seized her arm and spun her around so she was facing him with her back to the open door. "If you really want to thank me, then do it by living the rest of your life to the utmost."

Leia shook her head. "I had no intention of doing otherwise."

"Then my work here is done." Before Leia could respond, Anakin pulled her close for an embrace. She cringed at first, then convinced herself to relax. "Give Luke and the others my love," he said.

"I can do that," Leia answered, "as long as you give mine to Mom and my son."

Anakin released her and stepped back. He gave her a smile that was reassuring while simultaneously clandestine. "Consider it done."

Still smiling, he pushed her backwards into the emptiness beyond the doorway. There was a falling sensation as she watched Anakin and the door grow smaller. She saw Anakin salute with two fingers before the door closed.


	9. Search for the Past

Search for the Past

_Come on. You're almost there._

Leia felt herself floating in the same warm ocean she was in before awakening in the temple garden. She inhaled deeply to absorb everything it offered her spirit. There was no sense of gravity to orient herself. There was a feeling of being wrapped in a warm comfortable blanket. With each breath, it gently pressed itself against her until her body had absorbed all of it.

_Keep going. You can make it._

The unidentifiable voice continued encouraging her. With one final heave from the Force, as if in childbirth, Leia felt bubbles slide up her body. The tickling sensation caused her to jerk suddenly. Subdued voices began to assault her ears. Leia moved her head from side to side as she tried to wake up. The voices grew louder as she struggled to fight off paralysis. She took another breath (through her mouth, she noticed) and released a muffled scream.

Another sudden jerk caused Leia's eyes to snap open. She found herself floating in a clear liquid with a breathing apparatus in her mouth. She instantly realized she was in a bacta tank. There were four blurred figures on the outside. Two of them appeared human, while the other two were Noghri. Leia blinked as her vision gradually began to clear. She felt both humans shower her with excitement and relief, verbally and through the Force. She knew they were Jacen and Jaina by their psychic touches. Leia watched Jaina leave the room, probably to retrieve someone, then looked back to Jacen when he tapped on the glass. Though she couldn't clearly hear him, she watched his lips move.

_Where were you?_ Jacen thought to his mother.

_You wouldn't believe me if I told you,_ she thought back.

(X)

Leia took another sip of her steaming hot tea before turning back to her datapad. It was almost done downloading information from what was left of the historical archives on Coruscant, along with other archives on other planets. She did not turn around when a hand fell against her shoulder. She merely acknowledged it with a tip of her head.

"How long do you plan to go through all this?" Han asked as he leaned over the back of her chair. "You've already spent two hours rummaging through this stuff."

"Will another few hours make a difference?"

Han shrugged. "It will to me. I thought we had plans for today."

"We still do."

"What exactly are you looking for?" Han leaned over her to catch a glimpse of what she was reading.

"Any and everything pertaining to my father, even if it's just war or Jedi history." She reached for her tea again. "It's not as easy as it used to be, considering the Yuuzhan Vong destroyed most technology they got their hands on. Some of what I'm getting still exists only because heretics protected it during the occupation."

"Why the sudden interest?"

Leia blew steam from the cup. "Why not? I've wasted enough time avoiding it. I have a lot of catching up to do."

"I know," Han said before realizing that he was revealing his agreement with her comments.

"I want to know the truth about where I came from," she added. "From every angle. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Well, why don't you have someone help you with this stuff? Then I'll have more time to kidnap you."

"I do. Half of it is being sent to Luke." She took a sip. "I just wish I could find something on this Chosen One business. It's driving me crazy, and I haven't the slightest idea what I'm looking for."

"I noticed. Since the accident, this whole Anakin Skywalker deal has become your obsession. It's not healthy. Especially for me. Did your accident leave you brain damaged or something?"

"Han!" Leia turned in her chair to glare at him, though she knew he said it strictly in jest. "This is serious. To me, at least."

Han held his hands up as if to fend off a strike. "I know, I know, Your Highnessness."

Leia gave Han the familiar glare that phrase always caused her make. "Anakin Skywalker said a lot of things that got me thinking, that's all. He answered some of my questions, but left me with many more. I just don't want to go to the grave without trying to find the answers. I owe him that much. Or rather, I owe it to myself."

Leia lifted the datapad as if to get a better look at it. "There's a lot of stuff here related to the Clone Wars."

"Well, Luke did say your father was a hero of the war."

"Yes," she said in a faraway voice, "and now I think I know why. I hadn't realized how much trouble a single person could get himself into. My father made quite a reputation for himself in the war, and all in his early twenties. There is too much to go through in one sitting."

Han placed his other hand against her other shoulder. "Then take a break."

"I will, I will," she assured him. "I just wish I could find something about that Chosen One mess he refused to tell me for some reason."

"Maybe that was the point. Something he made up to keep you interested enough to bother doing all of this."

Leia shook her head. "I doubt that. Even so, it would have been unnecessary. I would have been doing this anyway. I'm sure he was telling the truth about being some Chosen One."

"Maybe he was chosen to be your father," Han offered, "especially considering the spiritual significance twins have for the Yuuzhan Vong. Maybe there's something to that."

Leia tapped her fingers against the table. "Maybe," she said, "but I won't take that for granted."

"Fair enough," Han said as he tugged on her arm. "Can you take a break now? It's lonely outdoors."

"In a minute." Leia quickly scanned over the section she was working on, then marked it to continue later. "Okay. Let's go."

Leia let Han pick her up and carry her over his shoulder. "Come on," he said with the smile of a scoundrel. "You and I have our own time to make up for."


End file.
